Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the committee's chairman, explained the hearing early Wednesday. “The FBI’s recommendation is surprising and confusing,” he wrote in a statement.

“The fact pattern presented by Director Comey makes clear Secretary Clinton violated the law. Individuals who intentionally skirt the law must be held accountable,” Chaffetz added. “Congress and the American people have a right to understand the depth and breadth of the FBI’s investigation. I thank Director Comey for accepting the invitation to publicly answer these important questions.”

The House inquiry follows intense criticism of Comey and the FBI from Republican lawmakers who believe the investigators' findings justify criminal charges against Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Comey will be joined by Steve Linick, the State Department Inspector General, and I. Charles McCullough, the Intelligence Community Inspector General.

The hearing will focus entirely on the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email setup during her tenure as secretary of state beginning from 2009 to early 2013.

“Although we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information,” Comey said on Tuesday, “there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.”

However, his overall conclusion to not press charges is a best-case scenario for Clinton, whose campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said her team is “pleased” with the result while reiterating that her use of personal email was a “mistake” and “she would not do it again.”

On Tuesday morning, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced its conclusion into the probe of Hillary Clinton 's email scandal. During a press conference Tuesday morning, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey said the FBI will not recommend the Department of Justice bring charges against Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.